Filling the World with Love and Respect: Why Ellyn Samuelson Volunteers

April 23-27 is National Volunteer Week, and we have a host of volunteers to celebrate! Meet Ellyn, a volunteer with CHANA who grew up volunteering and wants to ensure all people are treated with love and respect.

Tell me how you first got involved with CHANA. At an event in 2015, I was approached by my friend Alyson Friedman who asked me if I would be interested in being on the board of CHANA. When I started going to the board meetings and I found out the level of domestic abuse in the community, I couldn’t believe it! CHANA provides a safe place for the community to call for support, guidance and information regarding trauma that occurs to men and women across the lifespan. Through programs like Boys To Mensch, Safety Kid and The Healthy Relationship Program, CHANA provides our youth with tangible skills regarding building healthy relationships. CHANA also gives access to therapists and lawyers to help with the clients’ needs.

How would you describe the impact that CHANA makes in our community? As a board member, I volunteer to help collect clothing for the clients and I collect clothing for the CHANA sheds. (Located in both the Weinberg Park Heights and Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCCs.) Next year we are hoping to launch clothing drives in many of the local schools and synagogues. I love driving around town and picking up bags of clothing and throwing them in the shed! Click to read full article.